1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a wavelength converter and also to a projector and a lighting device each including the wavelength converter.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional projectors and lighting devices, excitation light from a solid-state light source, such as a semiconductor laser or a light emitting diode is wavelength-converted by a phosphor layer contained in a wavelength converter, thereby producing light of desired color.
One well-known such phosphor layer is composed of a resin sealing layer and a phosphor dispersed in the layer. In a wavelength converter with such a phosphor layer, a reflective layer made of silver (Ag) or aluminum (Al) is disposed between the substrate and the phosphor layer in order to improve the light extraction efficiency of the wavelength converter.